- The Orioles have declined their $1.2 million club option on Mark Hendrickson. The O's will instead pay Hendrickson his $200,000 buyout, and he becomes a free agent. According to FanGraphs, Hendrickson was worth 0.4 WAR ($1.8 million) last season, so paying him $1 million next season would have been reasonable. Still, the O's have other bullpen options, and Hendrickson is also 36 years old.
- Without a new contract from the O's, Rick Kranitz accepted a position with the Astros to become the organization's Minor League pitching coordinator. Brittany Ghiroli, who wrote the linked MLB.com article, speculates that "Rangers Minor League special assistant Mark Connor is in line to become the new Orioles pitching coach." That deal may be announced soon.
- Juan Samuel apparently will be returning to the O's to occupy a position he had before Buck Showalter's arrival: third-base coach. The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly offers this reason for Samuel's return: "In putting together his coaching staff, Showalter wanted a base coach who could work with infielders and also was hoping to add a Spanish-speaking coach. He accomplished both with Samuel. Although not involved in the organization’s glory days, Samuel is also someone with Orioles ties, given his four previous years as a coach with the club." Makes sense. Hopefully Samuel doesn't also end up filling another O's coaching position he previously held: interim head coach.
No comments:
Post a Comment